Cable connection panels typically comprise a plate with a plurality of rectangular holes to accommodate a plurality of cable-to-cable connection adapters (e.g. fiber-optic cable-to-cable adapters). For example, the panel may be a flat aluminum plate having an intended thickness specified by the design, but which has a manufacturing variation within a specified tolerance about that intended thickness. Likewise, the size of each hole in the panel has an intended height, width, and angular geometry specified by the design, but each dimension also has a manufacturing variation from hole to hole within a corresponding specified tolerance.
The connection adapters are typically retained within the panel holes using retention clips. The retention clip needs to allow for practical installation and intentional removal, while resisting unintentional removal. For example, a push-in force required to install the adapter into the panel may be specified to be within a range that facilitates practical assembly, which range may be a performance measure for the retention clip. The retention force resisting unintended removal of the adapter from the panel may be specified to be above a desired minimum, which may also be a performance measure for the retention clip.
In many conventional cable connection panels, there are gaps and clearance between the installed connection adapters and the inner periphery of corresponding panel holes. Mechanical vibration from nearby cooling fans, etc., may excite the adapters to wobble or rattle within the panel holes, which may be undesirable because it can cause noise and debris, and may loosen the retention of the connection adapters within the holes, or progressively walk an adapter unintentionally out of a corresponding hole. The gaps and clearance between the installed connection adapters and the inner periphery of corresponding panel holes may also allow the adapters to excessively wobble. Previous retention clip designs have attempted in various ways to reduce wobbling or rattling, and even have been advertised as such, yet have not acceptably reduced the problem in many applications.
Retention clips of previous designs have also provided inferior maximum retention force to resist undesired or unintentional removal. In certain previous designs, clip members that were intended to engage with the edges of the hole in the panel (through which the connection adapter is coupled) were unable to resist bending or splaying when resisting a specified removal force. Such potential bending or splaying failure of the retention clip would render the maximum retention force of the clip undesirably low in many applications.
Hence, there is a longstanding unmet need in the art for an improved retention clip for coupling an adapter within a cable connection panel. For example, there is a longstanding need in the art for an improved retention clip that can resist splaying and thereby improve maximum retention force, reduce wobbling or rattling, facilitate installation, or better accommodate or widen the acceptable variation in panel thickness or panel hole dimensions.